Rania R.a. Abushamala
21 October 2026•Update: 21 October 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought a prominent rabbi’s help to persuade Amcha Yisrael party leader Ofer Winter to withdraw from Oct. 27 parliamentary elections amid concerns that his candidacy could split the right-wing vote, an Israeli newspaper reported Tuesday.
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily said Netanyahu visited the Bnei David pre-military academy in the Eli settlement in the occupied West Bank, where he met with Rabbi Eli Sadan alongside Finance Minister and Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich.
The meeting aimed to draw on Sadan’s close relationship with Winter to persuade him to withdraw, according to the newspaper.
Citing sources at the academy, the report said Netanyahu and Smotrich presented the latest opinion polls to Sadan, arguing that several small parties contesting the election could cost the right-wing bloc seats.
They also argued that the opposition had “organized its ranks better” following Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz’s withdrawal from the race Monday.
Responding in a video published by the newspaper, Winter accused Netanyahu and Smotrich of trying to pressure him.
“The people of Israel want a different kind of politics,” he said.
Winter said he was contesting the election to offer an alternative to the existing right-wing leadership based on taking responsibility, acknowledging mistakes and uniting Israelis.
His party, he insisted, would “continue competing until the end.”
Electoral pressure
Last week, Davidi Ben Zion, the eighth candidate on Winter’s electoral list, withdrew following pressure from people close to Smotrich and rabbis in the West Bank, according to the newspaper.
The pressure centered on concerns that the party would fail to cross the electoral threshold, leaving votes cast for it without parliamentary representation.
Ben Zion cited fears of wasting his supporters’ votes as the reason for his decision.
Winter said on Oct. 12 that Netanyahu would bear responsibility for the right-wing bloc’s collapse if his party failed to clear the electoral threshold.
Calls within the governing coalition for Winter to withdraw have intensified as opinion polls show his party falling below the threshold of 3.25% of valid votes cast.
Those calls gained momentum following Gantz’s withdrawal, which right-wing figures viewed as strengthening the opposition’s prospects.
The election is scheduled for Oct. 27 amid deep political divisions. Netanyahu acknowledged Sunday that he was unsure of victory and was “very worried.”
A poll published Sunday by the public broadcaster KAN showed Netanyahu’s bloc losing two seats to stand at 51, compared with 52 for the bloc led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot.
Eisenkot also led Netanyahu in preferences for prime minister, with 43% support against 35%, according to the same poll.
Neither bloc commands the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset, opinion polls indicate.